Today has been a sordid day for many at Microsoft with the company laying off 10,000 employees across various divisions. This includes Bethesda Game Studios, The Coalition, and 343 Industries of Halo Infinite fame. Reports by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier also indicate the campaign team was “hit hard” and that creative director Joseph Staten has left 343 to rejoin Xbox’s publishing division.
Patrick Wren, former Halo Infinite senior multiplayer designer who now works at Respawn on Star Ward Jedi: Survivor, shared his thoughts on the layoffs through Twitter. He blamed “incompetent leadership up top” for causing “massive stress.”
“The layoffs at 343 shouldn’t have happened and Halo Infinite should be in a better state. The reason for both of those things is incompetent leadership up top during Halo Infinite development causing massive stress on those working hard to make Halo the best it can be.”
Wren further added, “The people I worked every day with were passionate about Halo and wanted to make something great for the fans. They helped push for a better Halo and got laid off for it. Devs still there are working hard on that dream. Look at Forge. Be kind to them during this awful time.”
It’s no secret that Halo Infinite has had a rough time, both before and after launch. 343 Industries would suffer to release updates and new content, reportedly due to Microsoft’s policy on contractors. While the developer was last noted to be on track with its 2023 content, it’s unknown if this is still the case after the layoffs. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.